It's a little early to know what the Cardinals' safety situation will look like on Sunday, but if backups are still needed against the Jets, Charles Washington may have played himself into consideration.
The special teams ace was added to the mix on defense against the Panthers and finished with a 90.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus in 31 snaps, the best on the team.
Washington had only played two defensive snaps since 2017 previously, per PFF. Curtis Riley struggled the most among the reserve safeties, as he was given a 51.3 overall grade against Carolina. Deionte Thompson graded out at 60.4.
Other Pro Football Focus observations From Week 4:
- The defensive front did not have a bunch of success, and that was reflected in the grades. The bottom five overall grades on defense came from Corey Peters, Rashard Lawrence, Haason Reddick, Kylie Fitts and Leki Fotu. Chandler Jones did grade out well, however, at 73.9. Zach Allen, who saw the most snaps on the defensive line, graded out decently at 62.6.
- Kyler Murray was given the highest offensive grade on the team at 80.0. While his rushing grade of 82.0 led the way, PFF gave him a solid passing grade of 72.0. Murray only averaged 4.3 yards per pass attempt but it was more a function of not throwing downfield rather than bad throws.
- Technically, Jordan Thomas had the highest grade on offense. He played one snap and caught a touchdown pass.
- Patrick Peterson had his first interception of the season but graded out at 49.3 in coverage, the worst mark among the defensive backs.
- The Cardinals' offensive line didn't run block very well, as guard J.R. Sweezy's 62.1 grade was the best in the group. Center Mason Cole was given high marks for his pass-blocking, with an 83.7 overall grade in his first game back since injuring his hamstring.
